October 3 & 4, 2012
We drove from Moab to Georgetown Colorado on Wednesday. We arrived in Georgetown around 3:00p and check into a really nice hotel - Hotel Chateau Chamonix. We walked around town and it was a bit different as we always come here during their Christmas Market (1st 2 weekends in December). There was no snow and it was relatively warm and the Aspens were turning gold.
We met up with our friend Karen Osband and her pups - George and Chumbly - for lunch at the Happy Cooker. We then walked around town to see what had changed since we were here last year. It was mostly the same.
Karel and I took a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad this afternoon and even though it was quite chilly it was a great train ride.
Tomorrow we head to Centennial, CO to spend some time with Karen and then we head home.
We hope you have enjoyed our trip. I think that one of the most important things that I could recommend would be for everyone to get out and enjoy our National Parks. They are the best!!
Happy Trails,
Deb & Karel
October 2, 2012
Day 2 - Moab
We got up early to visit Arches National Park again because the light will be different than the day before and we wanted to look at the other portions of the park that we missed.
We went back to Landscape Arch to see if the morning sun made a difference in the picture and actually the afternoon sun picture the day before was better. Now we could take our time to get through the rest of the park. We stopped at the Windows Arches, Balanced Rock and Park Avenue. It is amazing what nature has done!!
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| Windows Double Arch |
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| Balanced Rock |
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| Park Avenue |
Every corner we turned there was another awesome vista!! After spending most of the morning in the park we were ready for lunch and some more serious pool time. The temperature for the past several days has been mostly in the 80's - dry with no breeze. We were ready for a rest from all the rocks!!
Deb & Karel
October 1, 2012
Today we headed to Moab, Utah. On the way there we stopped for coffee in Monticello, UT. It was a cute little cafe on the main highway.
We arrived in Moab around 11:30a and since it was too early to check in we decided to head to the Arches National Park. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The national park lies atop an underground evaporite layer or salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area. The color red is predominant!!
We watched the 10-minute film that explained how the park came to be and then headed to the two main arches - Landscape and Delicate. We will return the next day to see more of the park in the early morning.
Landscape Arch is considered to be the longest natural arch in the world.
Delicate Arch is a 65-foot (20 m) tall freestanding natural arch. It is a 1.5 mile hike to the arch through rugged, brushy terrain and gains slightly in elevation.
After this hike, we headed to our hotel - The Gonzo Inn. It was a very nice hotel which had a pool in which after check in we took off our shoes and socks and soaked our feet in the cool water - ahhhhh. It was an awesome day!!
Deb and Karel
September 30, 2012
Today we visited Monument Valley - meaning valley of the rocks - is characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. It is located on the Arizona-Utah state line and is in the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.
We drove through the valley on a 17-mile (27 km) dirt road that left us and the car covered in fine sand.
It was a gorgeous day and the valley was spectacular.
We went back to Mexican Hat to have some lunch and then headed to the Natural Bridges National Monument.
There are three natural geologic stone bridges, currently known as Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo after
their original names were changed to reflect the Hopi Indian history of
the area. Karel trekked down the side of the cliff to walk underneath Sipapu. I tried but as you all have learned ~ me and open stairs or ladders don't work well together. There was a steep open stairway that led down to the trail to the bridge and I couldn't go down there. Karel encountered a rattle snake on the trail and they both respected each other's space without harm to either one.
We stopped at the overlook for the second bridge and as it was getting late in the day continued on to the last and one of the largest natural bridges. This one had a trail that led directly to the bridge and was easy to get to. It was very beautiful.
We headed back to our hotel in Mexican Hat and now the restaurant was open - the Swingin' Steak Restaurant. The restaurant owner who doubles as the grill-master, swings an iron grate of a cedar wood fire with one hand while he holds a beer or steak fork in the other hand. The menu is about as simple as it gets - steak, burger, beer, served with baked beans, salad and Texas Toast. The choices were simple. Karel tried one of the local Utah brews - Polygamy Porter.
Kind of sums it all up. (sorry that this blog will not allow corrected photos!).
Deb & Karel
September 29, 2012
We continued on to Mexican Hat,
Utah. (have the Fistful of Dollars music in your head for this one!!). (We are writing this blog on 10/2/12 because we did not have Internet access until we reached Moab, Utah.)
We stopped at the big rock pile that was near our hotel and took some pictures. The story is that a woman got stranded here back in the early 1900's and found these rocks near the road and stayed the night. She liked it so much that she bought the land so that it could be shared with everyone. There were several buildings built around the rocks.
We then drove to south of Page, Arizona for a tour of the Antelope Canyon.
It is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest and is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation. We took an open truck tour to the canyon and inhaled a lot of sand!! It was worth it though.
We continued onwards to our final destination - Mexican Hat, Utah appropriately named based on a rock formation bearing some resemblance to a sombrero.
The Mexican Hat hotel was okay. Our room was actually a big trailer with one bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. It was clean and away from the main part of the hotel.
The next day is for Monument Valley and the Natural Bridges National Monument tour.
Deb & Karel
September 28, 2012
This special episode of the blog brought to you by satellite (that's how they get internet here in the Vermillion Canyon.
Today we left Sedona and headed to the Grand Canyon - South Rim. We almost ran out of gas trying to get there. The scenic route out of Sedona is 25
miles to Flagstaff and we were down to less than a gallon of gas and there were no gas stations along the way. We made it to the junction with Interstate 17 where we coasted into the gas station!! Whew!
It was about a 2.5 hour drive to the Grand Canyon and it was worth it. We took a hike along the rim for an hour and then turned back knowing that we needed to get back on the road to our final destination for the day.
There were a lot of people visiting the Grand Canyon - mostly from other countries. We left there at 3pm and drove to Cliff Dwellers, AZ. It is nestled at the base of the Vermillion Cliffs. It felt like we had landed on another planet. It is very beautiful and nearly a full moon tonight.
We are in the middle of nowhere - and we have internet connection. On the way to our 'lodge' we found an area where huge rocks have fallen down from the cliffs and are right next to the road and across the road. We will get some good picture tomorrow when we stop there on our way to Page, AZ and Mexican Hat, UT.
Tomorrow is Get in Free at any National Park in the nation so get out there and enjoy our National Parks!!!
Cheers!!
Deb & Karel
September 27, 2012
Today we visited Cathedral Rocks - Chapel of the Holy Cross - Amitabha Stupa. After a yummy breakfast in Sedona, we traveled to Cathedral Rocks which wasn't really that far from our hotel but is one of the most photographed/recognized rock formations in Arizona.
We hiked up about half-way and then Deb couldn't make it. It was quite steep with precarious footholds. Karel went up to the base area. It was quite beautiful sitting there looking across the vista at the other rock formations.
After that we went to Chapel of the Holy Cross. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the mesas of Sedona. The chapel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son.
Then we went on to find the Amitabha Stupa -
a consecrated Buddhist shrine set quite stunningly amid piñon and juniper pine and the ubiquitous rocks.
It was a great day!! Tomorrow we head for the Grand Canyon.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
